Ryan and Charley's Adventures: Ryan and Charley Are Growing Up

I have been working so hard on our vacation blogs that I realized I need to just do an update. So, here goes. Stay tuned for details of our Spokane trip...

What is Ryan doing these days?

I was driving Ryan to school this week and asked her if she wanted me to pray. Most times on the way to school she will agree to let me pray but that day she didn't want me to. I tried to encourage her to let me and said we needed to ask God to be with us at school and she said "He already knows that" in this tone that indicated I was stupid for suggesting God didn't already know exactly what we need without us having to ask. I know she didn't probably mean the comment in that deep of a way but still it made me happy for her that she already had a sense of God being there without her having to do anything.

The other night when I was cuddling with Ryan in bed she asked me "Ma Ma, when I get bigger will I always be your sweet little girl?" Oh if only she could always be my sweet little girl!

Pat, Ryan, and I were saying our prayers the other night and Ryan thanked God for "me." How cute is that? Hilarious!! She also thanked God for "friends, food, and grapes."

Reading!!! Yes, she is reading. Pat's mother and Michelle told us how wonderful Bob Books are in teaching kids to read so Pat bought the first set and Ryan can read the first three. We started doing them a couple of weeks ago. At first she would get very frustrated and want to stop if it was too hard or if she didn't get it right but now she is doing great and is sounding out the words and handling her frustration better. She is so proud of herself. This process, though, has confirmed something I always knew-I would not be a very good homeschooling mom. I get very impatient and it stresses me out to let her struggle and make mistakes which is what she has to do to learn...I don't want her to squirm or have to work too hard. But, obviously this is part of life and I can't protect her from that. She is very wiggly while reading and it drives me batty!!! She slithers down and moves all around putting her feet on the book where she can't see. But, with time she is actually doing less of those wiggly behaviors while reading.

Ryan started Hope Lutheran School. Mrs. Oster said she was a "neat kid" and "bright." Mrs. Smith said she was "bright" and "sweet." Mrs. Oster said she was talkative with both the teachers and kids, which is a new thing. The second week Mrs. Oster said that she was "highly intelligent" and has a "well-defined psyche." She also said she "is her own person." She said she reminded her of Aunt Ashley in how she looks and her mannerisms (and also the being her own person part). She said that she will put her hands on her hips while talking. They call her "the wise owl" because she looks at you without blinking with her big eyes. She also said that she will be quietly working on something and if you look over at her she may be hanging upside down like a spider. No surprise...remember above paragraph. She also said she is very "purposeful" in her behaviors which is good for their classroom. Pat took her to McDonald's after the first day and she was proud that she answered a lady's question in "my big girl voice." She relayed everything she told the lady to Pat (after he had just heard the whole thing.) She asked some of the kids their names but "they didn't want to tell me." I'm glad she is getting a little bit less shy and more comfortable socially.

Ryan started her second year of dance last night and will start soccer soon. I can't wait to see that. It should be cute seeing her picking flowers and her nose while her coach (Pat) is yelling at her to get the ball. I think she will love gymnastics but we'll wait until soccer ends because two activities a week is enough for an almost 4-year-old (or any age for that matter). Apparently the pastor's wife at Hope Lutheran teaches violin and will teach the children who are interested. I'm so excited about that!!

Ryan will say the funniest things...she uses the word "actually" all of the time. She will say she wants cheese and then say "actually I don't want cheese... I want crackers." Last night she was pretending to be going to a "festival" (pronounced festibal). I tried to get her to tell me what that was but she didn't and then she said it was a meeting. She used the word "amount" the other day which I thought was an interesting word for her age. She was complaining that the amount of mayo on my hot dog at the pool was more than the amount on hers. Pat said she used the word "confused" the other day.

Ryan has been learning about God at school. I was trying to find the Cream of Tarter at Walmart to make playdough. I told Ryan I was going to call Gin Gin to see where it would be. She then suggested that I could call Miss Susan (because she gave me the recipe). Then, she said I could ask God because he knows where things are. Later in Walmart she said that God must be really tired from "making all of these things." They have been talking about creation so I think she must think God sits around making laundry detergent, shampoo, notebooks, tape, etc.

What is Charley doing these days?

Charley started going to Batesville Montessori MWF from 8 to 3. She did great the first week. The other little toddlers had a hard time (like Ryan did) but Charley did well without any crying. The teacher told Pat that she was a big help. I'm not sure what that means but maybe she is patting the crying babies like she does Ryan. When Ryan cries, she will say "pat" and pat her. It is so sweet. Update: I am finishing this post a week later and Charley has had a harder time. She cried hard at naptime on Wednesday and today cried when Pat dropped her off. When I was getting her dressed this morning, she kept saying "home." Oh, that breaks my heart.

When we got back from our vacation on August 9th we made the immediate switch to have Charley sleep in the crib in Ryan's room (now Ryan and Charley's room). She has done great. It was good timing because she slept in so many different beds that she probably forgot that she used to sleep in our sitting room. She's in a good sleep routine and is very easy to put down right now. She may wake up and need to be rocked during the night (thanks, Pat!) and will often get in our bed around 5 a.m. but she's a good sleeper. Update: since I started this last week she has had a stomach virus and strep throat. Sleep is no longer good but adequate.

Charley loves to be nudie "nu nu." She likes to take her diaper off and run around screaming "nu nu." The funny thing is that she seems to think that means squatting down in a sumo wrestler-like pose. She will then bend over to check out her more hidden parts. She'll run up to you, squat down, and scream "nu nu" at the top of her lungs. She is so funny! I can't get over her.

Charley still has a temper but she is getting easier. Now, she will listen when we say "no." That is progress. If she gets upset about something it is usually pretty dramatic but then she calms down very quickly.

Charley is very interested in colors. Blue=Bu. Purple=Pu Pu. Black=Bak. Yellow=Lo Lo. Blue was the first color she could say and she pointed it out every time we saw something blue (which was alot). She insisted on having Bu cups, plates, etc and would be upset if she got another color. It is hard to undersand her when she points out something purple because the way she says Pu Pu sounds a little like Bubby, Ba-Ba, Poo Poo.

One of the random things she did on our trip and still does occasionally is say "no Mommy" when I asked her a question. I wish I could get across the tone in writing. It was like she was confident that her "no" was going to be honored and that she was just bored with whatever it was I was asking.

Another cute word she says is George...she says juj.

Ryan (and Charley and Pat) have had the stomach virus this week (please God spare me) and last night Charley saw Ryan throw up into a bowl. She was at first traumatized and crying and saying "Ry Ry." But, after it was over she started imitating it and would bend her head down like Ryan was over the bowl and make herself gag and say "Ry Ry." It was hilarious. Even Ryan was laughing as sick as she was:)

Ryan is a Great Big Sister

One day recently I was home with both R & C and we were trying to get out of the house but Charley started to have a little tantrum. What she does is run around the house hysterical as if she knows where she is going or what she wants but she doesn't. She just kind of dead ends at a door or wall and gets trapped by us. It's so pitiful. Anyway that was happening and Ryan said to me "yeah, it's going to be kind of hard isn't it?" It was like she was a co-parent with me. This reminds me of how recently she was leaving the room where Charley was and she asked if Pat and I could watch her while she went to do whatever it was she was going to do. It was so sweet that she pays attention to and tries to take care of her sister. She must feel responsible for her in the back of her mind.

This paragraph should have been on the post about the drive from Seattle to Boise. Every time Charley would get upset (i.e. every two minutes) Ryan would put her hands on top of her head with her fingers pointing up and say "I'm a moose...I'm a moose, Charley....hey Charley....I'm a moose." Pat and I did not know what she was doing the first several times but then realized that she was trying to make Charley laugh and not be sad. It was funny because at the first whimper of a cry Ryan would automatically go into moose mode. There was a point on the drive where Pat, Ryan, and I were saying we were moose to make her happy. It worked at first but lost its effect eventually. We have no idea where she got the moose idea.

R & C are getting big enough for Bubby to agree to keep them for four hours AND put them both to bed. Yay Bubby!!! No one can believe he can do that...they are lucky to have the best Bubby in the world...

R & C are big enough to wear bikinis. No not really. I must confess that I would not have purchased the blue one (it was a hand me down) because it is a little revealing and suggestive but it was also pretty cute:)

They are big enough to do handstands as taught by Mason. Charley surprised us a few days after Ryan had been doing this...we didn't know that she knew too...